Boldfaced statements are parts of the original essay (or a subsequent reply) to which the respondent has directed his comments.
Italicized/emphasized comments prefaced by (R) are those of the respondent and are presented unedited.
My replies appear under the respondent's comments in blue text and are prefaced by my initials (MB).

Refusing to protect yourself and then blaming the government after you contract AIDS is about as ridiculous as smoking all your life and then suing a tobacco company after you get lung cancer. As with all things in life, if you choose to take the risks, you must accept the possible consequences.
(R) I agree, for the most part, with what you had to say on this subject. However, the logic of the above statement fails to present itself to me. Being human, we will believe what we choose to believe, regardless of how well educated we are. If a person is of the opinion that "it can't happen to me," no amount of knowledge to the contrary is going to make that person protect him(her)self from possible consequences. Therein lies the validity of the cry for help from AIDS patients, and those suffering from lung cancer.(MB) Crying for help is fine. But placing the blame for your plight on the government instead of taking responsibility for your own actions is simply silly. That's the point I was trying to get across. Ignorance, whether willful or otherwise, really isn't much of an excuse. In the case of AIDS (and smoking as well), I have my doubts as to whether or not those who get it can possibly be totally ignorant of the consequences of the behaviors that led them to get it. The efforts of the Gay Lobby would be better directed away from lobbying the government and towards educating their own.

(R) I believe that homosexual men would be less flagrant and therefore less prone to contracting the disease if society weren't so ridiculously against homosexuality. A lot of the promiscuity can be attributed to low self-esteems generated by this hate-factory we call the United States of America.(MB) "I did it because X hates me" has been used as a rationalization for all sorts of things and it never works. Since even heterosexual males are, by nature, promiscuous sorts, it is reasonable to conclude that male homosexual behavior would naturally be more promiscuous even if there was complete tolerance and acceptance in this country. Therefore, homosexual men will always be at correspondingly higher risk for getting AIDS. The Gay Lobby would do a much better service to those they represent if they were primarily concerned with setting standards for responsible behavior.